Refrigerating apparatus



Nov. 12, 1940. R. H. BARTELS REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 14, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR. PA YMM' 6. B4: nu a,

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Nov. 12, 1940.

R. H. BARTELS 2,221,438

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 14, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN \"ENTOR.

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Patented Nov. 12, 1940 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Raymond H. Bartels, New Orleans, La., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 14, 1937, Serial No. 168,956 2 Claims. (Cree-108.5)

This invention relates to freezing apparatus such as ice trays and particularly grid structures therefor employed in mechanically refrigerated household refrigerators.

Recently there has been placed on the market freezing devices for use in household refrigerators which devices include a tray having a removable unitary metallic grid structure disposed therein andcomprising walls that are movable relative to other walls thereof for releasing ice blocks from the structure. In these grid constructions there is usually an operating element extended along the grid for engaging and moving the movable grid walls. In some grid constructions this operating element is of a particular cross-sectional contour to receive portions of the metal grid walls and the contour of the operating element, its association with the grid walls and its mounting upon the grid to provide a unitary construction is such that portions of the unitary structure are rendered inaccessible for cleaning. For example the assembly of the grid wall operating element upon a grid structure usually forms pockets or concealed surfaces that cannot be properly J cleansed or sterilized due to the inaccessibility thereof for cleaning purposes. Therefore such structures have not been entirely satisfactory because they become unsanitary after a short periodof use due to particles of fruits, jelloes, etc., being 30 lodged in the pockets or inaccessible crevices of the grid structures. My invention contemplates the provision of means whereby such grid structures can be thoroughly cleansed and sterilizedto thereby improve the conditions of use thereof. 35 An object of my invention is to provide an improved unitary metallic grid structure for disposition in an ice tray.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby a normally unitary grid structure 40 or assembly having certainwalls movable relative to certain other walls thereof by an operating element engaging the walls can have parts thereof moved away from other parts to thereby render concealed crevices or pockets of the structure ac- 5 cessible for cleaning purposes.

A further object of my invention is to provide means on a normally unitary grid construction whereby the grid structure can be disassembled to open up inaccessible pockets or crevices and to 50 permit various walls or parts of the structure to be individually cleaned and sterilized for preventing contamination of the grid structure by particles of substances which become lodged in the pockets or crevices during use of the grid.-

66 A still further object of my invention is to provide a normally unitary grid structure with a means which is simple in construction and operation to permit quick disassembly and reassembly thereof by the user in carrying out the foregoing objects of the invention in the maintenance of 5 a sanitary grid structure.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred'form of the 10 present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ice tray having a normally unitary grid structure positioned therein and in which grid structure my invention 15 is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 1 showing ice blocks within the tray and rid;

Fig. 3 is a view of the grid structure removed 20 from the tray and showing the position of walls and other parts of the grid after having been moved to release ice blocks therefrom; A

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating certain parts o tfithe normally unitary grid assembly moved away from other parts thereof to permit removal of the transverse grid walls from the longitudinal grid wall;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the longitudinal wall of the grid after having the transverse walls thereof removed therefrom;

Fig. 6 is a view disclosing the contour of one of the plurality of transverse grid walls; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the construction in the present disclosure which permits disassembly of the normally unitary grid structure.

In order to illustrate the present invention I have shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings a metal ice tray l0 having a normally unitary metallic grid structure ll disposed therein. The 40 grid structure ll includes a longitudinal wall l2 and. a plurality of transverse walls [4 for dividing the interior of the tray into rows of open-top ice block cells or compartments IS. The longitudinal wall 12 of grid structure II has a plurality of spaced apart slots or openings l6 cut therein and extending from the top edge thereof downwardly to a point near the central portion thereof. These slots l6 are adapted to removably receive a web portion H (see Fig. 6) of the transverse grid walls M which transverse walls have a slot l8 cut therein for straddling the web portion l9 (see Fig. 5) disposed below the slots I6 of the longitudinal grid wall l2. The transverse walls I4 are in this manner interlocked upon and removably carried by the longitudinal wall ll of the secured to the longitudinal wall l2 of the structure II by pins or the like 23 which pass through an elongated slot 24 provided adjacent each end of the longitudinal grid wall l2. The elongated slots 24 permit lengthwise movement of pins 23 and consequently rod or bar 2| relative to the longitudinal grid wall |2 to cause the walls of slots 22 in bar 2| to engage and tilt or move the transverse grid walls |4 relative to the longitudinal of the structure.

wall |2 to thereby remove ice blocks from the ice compartments |5 of the grid structure as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Movement of bar 2| may be accomplished in any desiredmanner and I have shown a lever 26 pivotally mounted to the grid structure by a pin 21. The lever 26 is also connected by a pin 28, and through toggle link members 29 secured to one end of the longitudinal wall |2 by one of thepins 23, to rod 2|.

In the present disclosure an upward movement of lever 26 causes its end 32 to apply force to the tray II) to thereby elevate the grid structure l| together with ice blocks adhering thereto relative to the tray. Further upward movement of lever 26 about its pivotal mounting 21,

after the grid and ice have been removed from force to the top portions of the transverse grid Walls M to tilt or move these walls relative to the longitudinal wall |2 to thereby enlarge the ice block compartments l5 and liberate ice blocks therefrom. The various walls of the structure and the slots provided therein are preferably arranged to cause the transverse grid walls to be moved relative to the longitudinal grid wall progressively from one endof the structure to the other end thereof to thereby reduce to a minimum the force required to break and release ice blocks from the grid I.

It is to be noted that the assembly of the uni- It is the purpose of the present invention to provide meanswhereby various parts of. the nor,- mally unitary grid structure it can be -disas-' sembled, or moved away from one another to afford access to the concealed surfaces, pockets or crevices thereof to permit thorough cleaning of the structure. Therefore I have cut an opening 35 in the upper wall of the elongated slot 26 located at the end of the structure ll! opposite the lever end thereof. It is to be noted that the opening 35 is cutin the wall of slot 2d at the Movement of rod 2| applies cleaning of the longitudinal grid wall.

center of the slot so that this opening will not interfere with the normal horizontal sliding movement of pin 23 therein from one end to the other end thereof. The opening 35 and the material surrounding or forming walls thereof provides means whereby the unitary metallic grid structure or assembly H can be partially disassembled or parts thereof moved a substantial distance away from other associated parts thereof. In Fig. 5 of the drawings I have shown one end of the U-shaped bar or rod 2| of the structure H released from the longitudinal grid wall l2 and elevated a substantial distance away from the grid walls l2 and I4 to permit ready access to the inside surfaces or pockets of bar or rod 2| to thus permit cleaning of these sur-' faces. The elevation of bar or rod 2| relative opening 35 in slot 24 the bar or rod 2| is grasped by the hand of the operator and elevated to cause removal of pin 23 from slot 24 through the opening 35 to thus release the one end of the grid wall locking means or rod 2| from the grid structure and to permit opening of the pockets formed by the association of the 'U-shaped rod 2| with the walls l2 and M to thereby permit access to and cleaning of the normally concealed surfaces of thestructure The loose mounting of the transverse grid walls I upon the longitudinal grid wall l2 permits sliding same upwardly therefrom while the locking bar 2| is in an elevated position. Removal of the transverse grid walls M from the longitudinal wall |2 permits further access to the slots and crevices in these walls for thorough cleaning of the grid walls. I have shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings the grid transverse walls |4 removed from the longitudinal grid wall |2 .to permit thorough The separation of the transverse grid walls l4 from the longitudinal grid wall l2 permits cleaning of the individual plates or walls I4, one of which is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, independently of other walls of the structure U.

While Ihave shown a preferred means of permitting disassembly or movement of certain parts of the normally unitary grid structure away from other parts thereof for the purpose of permitting thorough cleaning of these parts it is to be understood that other ways of carrying out the objects may be adopted without departing from the spirit of my invention. For

example instead of cutting the opening in slot 24 to provide for the removal of pin 23 from the slot and elevation of rod or bar 2| relative to the walls 82 and M of the grid, I may desire to substitute a screw or bolt for the pin 23 in which case the screw or bolt would be threaded into at least one leg of the U-shaped bar 2i forremoval therefrom to cause separation of the oneend of the bar M from the grid walls to carry out the objectsof my invention.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an improved grid structure for disposition in an ice tray and which grid structure is normally unitary in construction and yet capable of being quickly disassembled for the purposes herein specified without in any way afiecting the operation of the unitary construction to cause movement of certainof its substantially rigid metallic walls relative to other walls thereof for releasing ice blocks therefrom. The disassemblingrof various parts of the normally unitary grid structure opens up or renders concealed pockets, surfaces or crevices formed by the cooperative association of the parts with one another accessible for cleaning to thereby prevent the grid structure from becoming contaminated by particles of fruits or the like frozen in the grid and tray at different intervals. My improvemeht permits the walls of the grid structure to be cleaned in the form of flat continuous plates to thereby eliminate the troublesome cleaning operation of intersecting portions of the walls or concealed surfaces of other parts of the grid structure. I My invention is simple and inexpensive to provide and has been found through use of unitary grid structures of the general type disclosed to be a necessity in preventing contamination of substances to be frozen and for eliminating replacement of such structures after they have been in use a short period of time.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

- What is claimedis as follows:

1. A grid adapted to be disposed in a freezing tray comprising, a longitudinal partition and a plurality of separate transverse partitions carried thereby to form rows of ice block compartments, a member attached to said longitudinal partition for locking said transverse partitions thereto, the attachment of said member to said longitudinal partition permitting movement of said member in one direction to move at least one of said partitions relative to others thereof for liberating ice blocks from said compartments, and the attachment of said member to said longitudinal partition also permitting movement of said member in another direction other than said one direction of movement thereof to unlock said transverse partitions and permit separation thereof fromsaid longitudinal partition.

2. .A grid adapted to be disposed in a freezing tray comprising, a longitudinal partition and a plurality of separate transverse partitions carried thereby to form rows of ice block compartments, a member attached to and extending along said longitudinal partition for locking said transverse partitions thereto, the attachment of said member to said longitudinal partition including an elongated opening provided in said longitudinal partition and a pin extending through the opening and secured to said member, the opening permitting movement of said memher to move the transverse partitions relative to said longitudinal partition for liberating ice blocks from said compartments, and said longitudinal partition having a slot extending from a peripheral edge thereof to said opening for permitting movement of said pin out of said open-' ing for unlocking said member from said longitudinal partition whereby said transverse partitions may be detached from the longituc'linalw partition.

RAYMOND H. BAR'IELS. 

